A compliment from a friend of mine...

[wondersofwine]

One of my church friends has been supportive of the winetastings I've held in my home or the parish hall to raise money for the church. She and her husband are not big wine drinkers but have visited some wineries on Long Island where they have relatives. She told me that thanks to the education I've given them on wines, she was able with confidence to ask a restaurant if they had a late harvest riesling for a dessert wine (they did). She tends to prefer sweet wines or mild, fruity wines. Another friend from church liked the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc we tasted in October (only $10.99) so I picked up one for her on my most recent trip to Raleigh. Her mother liked the other dessert wine we had, the Quady Essencia from the Orange Blossom Muscat in a half-bottle. I will try to pick up a bottle for her next time I'm in Raleigh.

[Kcwhippet]

Good for you, JC. Doesn't it feel good to turn people on to the positive aspects of wine?

[wondersofwine]

Yes, it does feel good.

[winoweenie]

One of my greatest pleasures associated with wine is watching someone I've turned onto wine blossom in their knowledge and expertise. VERY comforting. Keep it up WOW. WW

[TheEngineer]

Thanks for introducing another into the interesting pursuit of this subject. Many a times, I asked for help and meet with only people only mildly interested in helping me along. It seems like I was a waste of time for them and that they would really prefer to speak with someone already in the know.

Fortunately, met a few folks who were not like that through the last few years and everyone on this board as well! In the future when I am able and much more confident, I'll pass it forward.

[wineguruchgo]

My brother in law has recently done wine actions at his church to raise money and it has been very successful. Have you thought of this?

Many of the parishioners will donate items (wine, baskets, artwork) and many restaurants will donate dinners, hotels will also. In addition, if you know anyone on the distribution side of the wine business you can enlist their help as well.

We have a full, cash bar set up as well as a "wine tasting" station for free.

In the past three years we have raised over $25k, per event, for a small community church. Parishiners really like it because they know they are helping the church and it's an "Adult Only" party so they can laugh and dance and be social with one another without worring about their kids.

[TheEngineer]

WG, We've done this at my son's former school to raise money for the school. Fun event but they don't raise as much as your church does (I wish it did....).

[wondersofwine]

We did have auctions for several years and I auctioned off a couple wine tastings. We raised only about $5,000 a year and the three women that did most of the organizing burnt out after several years of hard work. Originally the money went to help AIDS or HIV-positive patients (with utility bills, medicine and even to put up parents of a dying son at a nearby motel so they could be with their son in his late stages of the disease). Later, our church faced financial difficulties and half the auction money went to the church and half to AIDS. One drawback, our church members are mostly middle class (not wealthy) and our town as a whole is not really wealthy. Merchants (jewelry stores, restaurants, etc.) get hit up for so many charitable causes that they have to set quotas or ration their contributions. This past year we did a yard sale and a lobster dinner sale in place of the auction. Didn't raise as much but supported them through the church rather than hitting up businesses in town.

[wineguruchgo]

That actually is really sad. I would think that church members or school members could part with a couple hundred bucks for their school/church.

If 300 people spent $300 you would gross almost $95,000!

My sister had a charity auction for her school last Saturday. They sold out at 725 people attending dinner at $125.00 per head. Last year she handed the school a check for $311,000.00. I'm sure she surpassed it this year.

If anyone is interested I'll be glad to share with you all of the information that I know.